The paths of approximately 22 Columbus Air Force Base graduates from 1971 converged again for a class reunion in Columbus Saturday after more than 50 years.
“It’s been absolutely fantastic,” said Jeff Grime. “It’s been over a half a century since we were here. It’s also been really neat to come back to Columbus. It has been neat going around and looking at a town that has still held its character and a lot of style and grace.”
The reunion was originally planned for 2021, the actual 50th anniversary of the class’s graduation, however, that did not happen.
“Originally, Class 71-06 had planned to visit Columbus AFB last year to celebrate their 50 year reunion, but were unable to visit due to COVID-19 restrictions,” said Danielle Knight, public affairs operations chief for the 14th Flying Training Wing.
The date was shifted to 2022, and preparations began.
Originally, Ben Fallin reached out to the public affairs office to get the event preparation in motion. Scott Hein then became the point of contact and finalized all of the tour details.
The group arrived Saturday morning to a base that was “unrecognizable,” and met with instructor pilots from the 50th Flying Training Squadron and toured the instructor and student facilities.
“The base is totally unrecognizable,” Hein said. “Everything has changed. The training program has changed. Some of the airplanes we flew are still here, some are brand new airplanes that we have never flown. It’s just been a wonderful experience to come back.”
Members of the class were briefed by Colonel Alexander Heyman, 14th Operations Group commander, on the current state of the pilot training program.
However, the highlight of the tour for most of the members was the flight simulators.
“The simulators are all virtual reality,” Hein said. “We’ve never experienced that before, it’s all brand new. It’s just fantastic. It’s just amazing what they can do now. We never had anything like this when we went through training. The program is just outstanding.”
Steve Benson echoed Hein’s sentiment on the simulators with one word.
“Excellent,” he said with a wide smile.
While the simulators were a hit, it was the revived camaraderie that won out in the end.
“I don’t remember much about the flying here, I remember a lot about the people that I flew with,” Grime said. “It’s been an absolute treat to be with people I went through training with 50 years ago.”
Hein was impressed with the participation in the event as well.
“Approximately 50 percent of the pilots who graduated in our class are here today,” he said. “Which is unusual, because it’s very rare, after 50 years, to get that many people to participate in a reunion.”
The group also enjoyed looking at the planes that were on display for them. There were static displays of the T-1, T-6 and T-38 aircrafts on display.
Members even recreated the original class photo, with those who were present, in front of the T-38.
“It’s been a wonderful gathering of old friends that just happen to be pilots,” Benson said with a chuckle. “We’ve been well received. The hospitality from the base has been incredible. The personnel have been wonderful, and it’s great to see the training that they’re providing pilots for our country.”
Historical significance
UPT Class 71-06 was one of the early classes to graduate from the UPT program after Columbus AFB began training again.
The base transitioned from a Strategic Air Command (SAC) base, which it had been for 14 years, back to an Air Training Command (ATC) base in 1969, according to the history provided by Knight.
The first UPT class entered on July 17 of that same year.
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